Pregame: Beimel goes on DL

May 28, 2011by rob biertempfel

CHICAGO — This morning, reliever Joe Beimel went on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his left elbow. He’ll have an MRI exam Tuesday in Pittsburgh and will be treated by the team’s medical staff. At this point, Beimel does not have any plans to see specialist Dr. James Andrews.

»»» Daniel Moskos was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. Even though he is the only lefty in the bullpen, Moskos is still relatively inexperienced and thus will not be used in late-game, high-leverage situations.

»»» Just thinking aloud here: It would make a lot of sense to lock up closer Joel Hanrahan to a multi-year deal. Something like three years, $20 million might work. Hanny will make $1.4 million this year and has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining. He’d probably be in line to get upwards of $5 million in 2012 through arby.

»»» For those who were (and those who still are) frustrated by the Pirates’ inability to find a upgrade at shortstop, consider this item from Baseball Prospectus writer Steven Goldman: “This year, the average age of shortstops throughout the majors is 28.8, the oldest the class as a whole has been at any time since 1950, and nearly two years older than the average age over that 60-year period. … There is little help on the way from the minor leagues. There are only a few apprentice shortstops who would seem to have anything like impact-level abilities, and several of them … have failed to convince scouts that they will be able to defend the position at the big league level.”

All of which means, having a a young, talented shortstop on the roster is almost as rare as seeing a unicorn — and it’s gonna stay that way for the next few years. GM Neal Huntington can’t just snap his fingers and land one in a trade. He probably was fortunate (!!) to get 28-year-old Ronny Cedeno in 2009 from Seattle in the Jack Wilson swap.

»»» The Pirates need just three more victories to match their total of 17 wins on the road last season. It could happen by the end of this road trip to Chicago and New York. “We’re not uncomfortable on the road,” manager Clint Hurdle said.

»»» Neil Walker snapped an 0-for-18 funk Friday with an RBI, infield single in the fourth inning.

»»» In case you hadn’t heard, ex-Buccos righty Ian Snell is back …well, sort of. Snell, who “retired” near the end of spring training after being demoted by the Cardinals, signed a one-year, minor league deal with the Dodgers. He was assigned to Triple-A.

Comments

Marc — Impossible to say. If he’s playing for Pirates this year, does JoeyBats hit 20 solo shots in losses? Does his defense at 3B cost some runs? Does he hit as well against NL pitching or in NL parks as he does in AL? Too many variables.
And what does “above .500 and in playoff contention” mean in May? Why waste time and energy worrying about impossible what-ifs and things you cannot change? Enjoy the season for what it is.